


Tabloids and True Love

by misura



Category: Gravitation
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Community: fic_on_demand, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-06-28
Updated: 2006-06-28
Packaged: 2017-10-23 03:58:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/246060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was doomed from the start.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tabloids and True Love

_third time's the charm_

"Shuichi, I think we should stop seeing each other like this." There, he's said it, and he doesn't even feel like too much of a coward. Ma reflects that maybe that's just because he's too tired to feel much of anything right now - Shuichi's as much of a goofball on stage as in bed, and Ma's always been more of an easy-come-easy-go type of person.

"That's the third time you've said that to me these past few weeks, Ma-kun." Shuichi's eyes are wide, wobbly and shiny. Ma know he shouldn't have looked into them, but his mother has raised him to look a girl in the eyes when he breaks up with her, and even if Shuichi isn't a girl, he's got the moodswings and taste for melodrama of ten of them. "Don't you love me anymore?"

"Of course I do." Well, maybe not 'of course'. Shuichi is high maintenance, not so much in demanding expensive presents as in insisting Ma to risk his life at least once a week, to meet in some place where nobody'll care about who they are, or what they're doing here. "I just don't like all this sneaking around."

Taki's been dropping hints for the past few months now, about his knowing some secret of Ma's, and while Ma's pretty sure it's not that he's in a relationship with Shuichi Shindou, he does feel like it's only a matter of time before Taki finds out about that, too.

"Oh, Ma-kun!" Shuichi pounces on him. Ma sourly reflects he's really going to miss getting tackled by a fluffball of energy. Maybe he should just tell Taki and hope for the worst, i.e. Taki exploding and Seguchi finding ASK a new lead-singer. "You should have said something sooner!"

 _I did_ , Ma thinks but doesn't say. _I did say something earlier, but you never listened to me, because you're an idiot and I'm a fool for being in love with you._

"Okay, let's stop sneaking about then! Let's put an end to this, Ma-kun!" Shuichi bounces off the bed and grabs his backpack. "Just leave everything to me."

Ma can barely even blink before Shuichi's gone, without so much as a farewell-kiss or an expression of regret. He tells himself he should be happy; he wouldn't want to make Shuichi unhappy, would he?

"I'm a fool," he tells the ceiling of the hotel-room.

 

 _headlines_

"What is the meaning of this?" Taki holds up the newspaper as if Ma should be able to know what's in it just by seeing a quarter of the frontpage. "What do you think you're up to, Ma-kun?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." The truth doesn't always work with Taki, but in this case, Ma can't think of anything else to say, and besides, Taki's good at sensing it when someone's lying to him. Denying any knowledge about whatever it is that's gotten Taki this worked up will at least make Taki believe Ma didn't mess up intentionally.

"I'm talking about you and Shindou!" Taki slaps the newspaper on the table, where both Ken and Ma can see the frontpage, in all its colourful glory. Shuichi's on it, naturally; Shuichi's the only person who can get Taki this worked up. "What were you _thinking_ , talking to that twerp outside of a concert?"

'Forbidden Love Revealed' the headline above a picture of Shuichi grinning and making a victory-sign says. 'Bad Luck-singer Sleeps With the Enemy!' and 'Nakano-san Says: No Comment' are above two smaller pieces. Ma wonders what, indeed, he was thinking, assuming that Shuichi'd go and do something smart for once.

"From what it says here, it looks like they did more than talking." Ken smirks. "I didn't know you swung that way, Ma-kun. But hey, if you're gay, that just leaves more fangirls for me and Taki!"

"Shut up!" Taki slams his fist on the table. "This is not something to laugh about."

"Why not?" Ken shoots back, in an unusual show of defiance. Neither he nor Ma stand up to Taki very often, mostly because Taki is *scary* when he gets mad, and he's usually right about things, too. Taki's the smart one, the one who got them a contract with NG. "It's all just a joke, man! Ma-kun would never in a million years do something like that! Those journalists are just talking shit; same as they always do! So what are you getting all worked up about?"

Taki makes no reply, his gaze locked on Ma. "You haven't answered my question yet, Ma-kun."

Ma feels sick. He's counted on Taki being pissed off when he'd find out, but somehow, it's Ken's trust in him that's making this a lot harder than he thought it'd be. Maybe he should have put more faith in their friendship, and less in his and Shuichi's ability to keep this a secret.

"It's all true." His voice is barely more than a whisper, but both Ken and Taki hear him perfectly; he can see it in their faces. "All of it is true."

Taki's face freezes into a mask of rage. Ken whistles.

"Duuude, you mean you guys really did it at the Tokyo Tower, with his tying you up and everything? That's kinky!"

Ma blinks. "What?"

 

 _super-short-epilogue_

"Yuki said that unless I told them a good story, they'd make one up for themselves," Shuichi declares, as if that makes everything all right. "Besides, it sounded like fun!"

"Spending the night at the top of the Tokyo Tower? Fun?" Ma sputters. He's been there once, on a school-trip, but the view wasn't all that great, and the stairs were pure hell.

"Huh?" Shuichi stares at him. "I told them we'd met in Disneyland, with you wearing a really lame disguise and me being in a Kumagoro-costume. I didn't say anything about the Tokyo Tower!"

Something too impossible to be true occurs to Ma. He keeps it to himself though, because he knows by now how Shuichi's going to respond to Taki's sense of humor, and, besides, he owes Taki a bit for not kicking him out of ASK and only letting him do household-choirs for the next six months.


End file.
